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Man steals thumb from statue of the Terracotta Army

Thumb of a warrior statue from the Terracota Army, has been reported stolen during exhibition in Philadelphia, USA. The thief has been identified by help of the FBI’s art crime unit.

Terracota Army (by Live Science)

Ten of the statues from the Terracota Army, created to serve and protect China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang (259 BC-210 BC) in his afterlife, are on loan for an exhibit at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. In December a 24-year-old male snuck together with his friends into the exhibit during a pre-Christmas party. The individual put his arm around one of the statues and took a selfie, allegedly grabbing the thumb from the left hand of one of the warriors – a statue valued at about 4.5 million dollars. Museum staff realized the missing thumb on January 8th. Authorities identified the individual, Michael Rohana, and retrieved the thumb, which was hidden in a desk drawer in his bedroom in Bear, Delaware. The man been charged with theft and concealment of artwork from a museum and the transportation of stolen property across state lines. Rohana, was released on bail on February 18th, but the the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Center, which oversees such exhibitions abroad, is pushing for a tough penalty.

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